Learning the Truth
by Celtic-Queen2000
Summary: A young apprentice named Moonpaw tries to figure out her true anscestry while training to become a Warrior of Thunderclan.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Yes, disclaimer, mhhhhh. Well lets just say that life is extremely unfair and I don't own Erin Hunter's books or any of the characters that I would give a million dollars to own them. Oh well, I own nothing.

A/N: Yeah, this is like my first story so I would appreciate some helpful feedback. Please review. I hope you like it.

_Moonpaw_

Moonpaw looked up at silverpelt, the stars of her warrior ancestors shone in her round, wide eyes. The moon covered her sleek tabby pelt with silver. Moonpaw shivered in the glare of the moonlight, "Hello Firestar," she purred without turning her head.

"Moonpaw," Firestar mewed looking at the young apprentice, "I'm sorry to bother you, but you've been gone the whole day."

"Oh," said Moonpaw turning her head and looking at the Thunderclan leader, "I'm sorry. . . I just didn't realize what was going on," she said and looked at her paws, "Firestar, are you mad t me?"

"Oh moonpaw, of course not," sighed Firestar, "It's just, if you're never at the camp, how can I see what your doing. I'll never be able to appoint you as a warrrior, and keep in mind that you've been an apprentice for quite a long time now. Don't you want to be a warrior."

"Firestar, I do," cried Moonpaw to the sky, "You don't know how much I want it, but I don't, It'll tear me apart to become a warrior."

"Moonpaw, It's not as bad as you think it is," replied Firestar understanding perfectly what the she-cat was thinking.

"I just can't imagine leaving my apprentice life behind. I'm going to miss so many things; sharing food with the other apprentices, sleeping in the den, the training missions you sends me on, your such a wonderful mentor, I don't even know why you chose me as an apprentice. Oh Firestar I don't know what to do."

Firestar looked at his apprentice and thought carefully about how much she knew and how much she didn't. She didn't know that she had almost died in birth. The kitten, small and pitiful was brought to the thunderpath. Her mother had died and Windclan could not bear to keep the small kitten, she would have reminded them to much of their precious Morningflower. So Tallstar had brought her to the edge of the Thunderpath and Firestar had carried her home. She still did not know.

"Firestar, you look sad, what are you thinking about?" asked the tabby apprentice.

"Oh Moonpaw, there's so much you don't know," he said.

"Well then, tell me what I don't know. What haven't you taught me Firestar. You're the clan leader, you've gone through so much. You've had to deal with being a kittypet, then becoming the leader. Isn't it hard to take all that responsibility on you?"

"It's harder, harder than anything I've ever done before. It was even harder to lose Bluestar, but she hunt's with star clan now," his eyes saddened at the thought of the beloved leader that Moonpaw had heard so many stories of, "Someday I will to."

"Firestar, don't talk like that. You still have to be my mentor. And even if it's going to be hard, I'm going to work a lot harder from now on, I do want to be a warrior," she squealed.

Firestar's mood lightened as his apprentice brightened, "All right, lets get back to camp."

The to cats padded back towards the Thunderclan camp. Neither one talked, but no uncomfortable silence happened. The walked together, Moonpaw looking at her mentor wonderingly. Firestar looked down at the kit he had taken to Thunderclan when she had no other way to live. He loved her as if she was his own kit.

The pair of cats, pelts glistening in the moonlight slipped through the gorse tunnel. Firestar started padding to his den when he heard Moonpaw call back to him, "Firestar, I know there's something you're not telling me. I don't think I'm ready to hear it yet, but when I am. . . will you tell me," and with that the young cat ran of to her friends in the apprentices den.

Firestar walked towards his den. He needed to lay down and think about what Moonpaw had said. He could tell that there would be hard times ahead.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I probably don't need to state again that I own nothing. . . extremely depressing that is.**

**A/N: Well here's another chapter, I hope people like it.**

Moonpaw stepped outside of the den into the first rays of dawn. She looked around the camp which was glistening with early morning dew. Firestar had just finished instructing the patrol as Moonpaw walked up to him.

"Oh, Moonpaw," said Firestar arching his back pulling at the tense muscles in his back, "I was just coming to wake you up," I wanted to know if you wanted to go to the training hollow and learn some knew moves?"

"Sure, I was hoping you would ask," Purred Moonpaw, "Um, Firestar, could we maybe go hunting before we start training. I'm kind of hungry?"

Firestar looked at his apprentice then nodded, "I think so. Besides I still have to see how good your hunting skills are. Lets see who can get more prey," and with that he raced out of the camp with his apprentice hot on his heels.

"No fare! You got a head start," she teased.

"We'll split up here," panted Firestar resting as they entered tallpines, "Meet me back at the training hollow with all your prey around lunch time."

Just as the two cats were about to split up they saw a pale ginger coat emerge from the trees, "What on Earth could you two be doing so early in the morning," said Sandstorm coming towards Firestar and Moonpaw.

"Hi Sandstorm," purred Moonpaw, "We were just going to see who could get the most prey by lunch, we're going to split up here and meet back at the training hollow. Want to play?" asked the apprentice.

"Count me in," said Sandstorm rubbing against Firestar briefly before sprinting into the forest, "Catch me if you can," she mewed over her shoulder.

Firestar looked at Moonpaw then ran the oppistie direction of Sandstorm. Moonpaw stood staring as her leader bounded away, his muscles bunching together for every powerful leap he took.

Moonpaw suddenly felt very lonely. She knew something in her was missing, she needed to find out what she didn't know, "But not yet," she whispered to herself.

The Thunderclan apprentice loved all the cats in her clan and was very close with some of her den mates, but she also knew something wasn't there. She looked at what was around her and felt like she was somehow disconnected from the reast of the forest. She stood there in silence for a few minutes, then, deciding that she should just be happy with what she did have, padded of into the forest.

The sound of a mouse nearby alerted Firestar that he so far hadn't found that much prey. He quickly dropped into the hunters crouch, stalking silently across the pine needle padded ground, his paws making no sound. The mouse never knew he was there as he sprang towards it. He finished it swiftly and buried it so he could pick it up later.

The heading out of the forest towards Suningrocks, Firestar caught the scent of a lone Riverclan cat. He quickly walked towards the scent which he easily recognized. Suddenly he caught sight of a silver pelt so much like his leaders, only this one was matted with blood.

"Oh my god," he whispered weaving through the rocks trying to reach the huddled figure of the cat, "Mistyfoot," he mewed urgently, "What happened?"

"Oh Firestar," said the Riverclan warrior, her sides heaving, "I was on my way to visit and I was attacked," she fell heavily on her side, panting hard, "Shadowclan warriors were in our territory, but they have a knew leader."

"Mistyfoot," said Firestar urgently as the young she-cat closed her eyes, "Who is their leader?"

"His name is Deadheart," she gasped, then fell silent and lay motionless.


	3. Chapter 3

Moonpaw padded forward into Cinderpelts den, "Um, Cinderpelt," she called out, glancing anxiously around.

"Yes," came an answer, and Thunderclans medicine cat padded forward to greet the apprentice, "What did you want?"

"Oh, I just wanted to know if Mistyfoot will be okay," asked Moonpaw casting nervous looks at the back of the den where Mistyfoot was curled in a pile if springy newleaf moss.

"She'll live," replied Cinderpelt also looking at the frail body curled there, "She lost a lot of blood. . . not to mention nerve. She keeps waking up and having fits. Whatever happened to her must have been terrifying. Only time will heel her inner pain, until then, I'm trying my hardest."

"Thanks Cinderpelt," mewed Moonpaw.

"Anytime. I have to be off now, Goldenflower has kits coming any minute now," purred Cinderpelt at the thought of the kits. She picked up a bundle of herbs that Moonpaw hadn't noticed till then, and started out of the den.

Before she disappeared, Moonpaw called after her, "Cinderpelt, one more thing!"

The medicine cat turned around and watched with curious eyes, "Yes, what would you like?"

"I was just kind of wondering if I could visit with Mistyfoot?" she scuffed her paw in the dirt then looked up with pleading eyes.

Cinderpelt sighed. Looking at the young cat she couldn't help thinking of herself. She had been so full of energy when she was just made an apprentice. So was Moonpaw, the only difference was that Cinderpelt had wanted more than anything to become a warrior. Moonpaw was happy as an apprentice, and Cinderpelt was sure would grow accustom to being a warrior, but she was having a hard time accepting her fate.

"Please," Moonpaw was hard not to love.

"Alright," purred Cinderpelt, "I think she can manage a chat with you. I have to see to the kits now, but I'm sure it'll go fine. If anything happens, just call me."

"Thank you so much," squealed the young cat. She ran to touch noses with Cinderpelt, then headed to the back of the den where Mistyfoot lay, her chest rising in shaky breaths.

Moonpaw looked down at her for endless minutes, thinking of how beautiful she would have been if she hadn't been in a fight. Instantly Moonpaw thought of the stories of Bluestar and how Mistyfoot was her daughter, "Do you miss her," she whispered.

Suddenly Mistyfoots eyes opened, they stared, blank and glazed with pain and fear, "Where am I," she coughed, "I shouldn't be here. Don't. . . get away from me," she hissed, her fear scent overpowering.

"Mistyfoot, do you remember your mother?" asked Moonpaw with a sudden urge to know more about the clans beloved leader, "Did you love her?"

Mistyfoot closed her eyes again and Moonpaw thought she might not have heard, "Moonpaw," the she-cat whispered, "Why do you ask such a question?"

"Because I want to know more. . . about this clan. It just seems as though I don't know anything," she said, shaking her head.

"Don't you ever listen to the elders," she purred, "I suppose not, young cats these days. Well, she was my mother. I loved her in her dying minutes. She gave birth to us with Oakheart, the old deputy of Riverclan. But she couldn't keep us because she was to become deputy, so Oakheart took us home. Since then we have been loyal Riverclan cats, and always will be," she finished.

"Oh," was all Moonpaw could say.

"I have to go back to my clan," Mistyfoot suddenly looked panicked, "They need me," she tried to stand, but her legs wouldn't hold her shaking frame.

"Would you maybe like a piece of food," asked. Mistyfoot replied yes and Moonpaw trotted off to get some.

A/N: I'm sorry if this chapter wasn't very good, but, yeah. I didn't think it was great. I hope you peoples like it. I'm going to write more soon. I really hope you're enjoying this story: ) !


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